


Droplets of Memory

by Ibelieveinahappilyeverafter



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Build up to relationship, M/M, Slow Burn, ahahahhaahha welcome to the trash heap, or should i say The Dump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-11
Updated: 2016-09-25
Packaged: 2018-05-06 02:56:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5400257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ibelieveinahappilyeverafter/pseuds/Ibelieveinahappilyeverafter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Doctor W. D. Gaster was the Royal Scientist of the Underground and admired by many - Sans included. When he gets a job offer to be a lab assistant he's thrilled! The main problem, however, is that his admiration and respect are heading a bit more towards crush territory, but, really, that was fine. It's not like he could ACTUALLY fall in love with Gaster...right? (Sanster - Gaster x Sans)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Day

Greetings! It is time for a new story of the decidedly trashy kind. So enjoy a bunch of drabbles about scientist nerds slowly falling in love with one another! In case you missed it in the summary, yes, this will be Sanster. Which is the pairing ship of Gaster x Sans.

Enjoy!

And, hey, if you enjoy this story and want to see more chapters and more stories like this, consider donating to my patr(e)on : mjanderson

You can also check me out on tumblr at ibelieveinahappilyeverafter

* * *

**Chapter One**

**::**

"Sans! Haven't I told you a _hundred_ times to pick up your _sock_ before-" The rest of Papyrus' words were dying in his throat at seeing his brother, who was currently scrambling around his room and throwing things into a bag. The smaller skeleton looked, well… He looked _nice_ for once. "Sans- What on earth!"

"Huh? Oh, hey, bro. Sorry, running a bit late." Sans was dressed in a nice pair of black dress pants, a fluffy white turtleneck, and had a pair of red reading glasses on his face. Papyrus knew the glasses were held there by magic, but they still looked ridiculous on a monster who had neither ears nor nose. "That job I told you about starts today."

"Ah, so _that's_ why you're dressed so nicely!" Well, except for the shoes, which were his usual, unlaced sneakers, but Papyrus supposed that beggars couldn't be choosers. Besides, the outfit was far nicer than anything Sans usually wore - his blue jacket and shorts for example. "You must be so excited!"

"Heh, yeah. Let's call it that." Truthfully, Sans was pretty nervous. He liked to think he was a pretty laid back kind of guy, but the thought of working with the one and only W. D. Gaster - the _Royal Scientist_ \- well...it was enough to turn any skeleton's head. It had only been on the urging of his brother that he had applied for the job as lab assistant. Sans had mostly done it as a joke, thinking he'd get turned down. Apparently his slight fascination with science wasn't for nothing.

"You're going to have such a great first day! You must tell me all about it when you get home!" As usual, Papyrus' enthusiasm never failed to put a smile on the older's face. The younger may have been loud, bold, and brash, but he was good at getting someone inspired and motivated.

"Yeah… Yeah, I'll tell you all about it, but now I _really_ gotta go if I don't wanna be late." Sliding the strap of his messenger bag over his shoulder - a neat little thing he had found in the Dump one day - Sans headed for the steps. "Don't wait up for me, Pap. First day, so I'll probably be there pretty late."

"Have a good day, brother!" Smiling back at his brother, Sans was opening the front door and stepping into the crisp, clean air of Snowdin, snow crunching under his feet. Another step and he was on hard rock, the humid and burning air of Hotland surrounding him. Standing outside of the laboratory (and oh god he was actually here, wasn't he? he was _actually_ going to do this ohgodohgodohgod) Sans took a deep breath before knocking politely on the door.

It wasn't long before it opened, a much taller skeleton blinking down at him before he was smiling and opening the door wider. "Greetings. You must be Sans."

"Heh, yeah, that'd be me." Right. No puns, today, Sans. Resist the urge to make an idiot of yourself in front of the most esteemed monster in all of the underground. "It's _Sans_ ational to meet you." ...Too late.

He wondered if he would be able to jump into the lava before the embarrassment was fully able to hit. Before he could, however, he heard a soft chuckle, the other skeleton nudging him in. "Well, you are the last to arrive, so shall we introduce ourselves?" Oh, good, he hadn't fucked up. Yet. "I am Doctor W. D. Gaster, the one you two will be working with."

Two. That meant him and one other person. A glance showed that it was a somewhat familiar monster, someone he had seen exploring the Dump same as he did on some days - although it seemed she was there far more often. She also looked to be more nervous than _he_ was. "H-Hi. I-I- I'm Alph- Ah- Alphys. Me. Yes. Alphys." At the expectant look shot his way, Sans gave his most friendly smile.

"Yo. I'm Sans. It's nice to meet you." Prooobably better to not bring up the Dump meetings in front of _Gaster_. Said scientist seemed rather pleased by the two, smiling as he led them further into the lab. As they walked, Sans ran back over the greeting Gaster had given him and realized that the way he spoke was slightly… Well, slightly off. Hesitant. As if the common monster language wasn't his native tongue. Which Sans wouldn't be surprised by, really.

"For today, you two shall be catching up on my work, both past and current. As lab assistants, I'll be needing your help frequently when it comes to the experiments we have going on, and you'll need to adapt quickly to different tasks. One day you may be doing simple paperwork, while the next you may be trying to escape a possible earthquake." At that, Alphys and Sans were sharing a startled - horrified on Alphys' part - look. "It can be rather shaky, but I'm sure you'll come to enjoy the work as much as I do."

There was a small noise from Sans, the two looking back at him before he was smiling and waving them off, slightly coughing into his fist. And _goddammit that was a pun_. Sans knew his puns. He knew them well. And that? That had been a very subtle, easy to miss, but _still there_ pun.

"Now, I've examined both the work you two have submitted and have decided that for today, you'll be working on different things. Alphys, I believe you shall best be suited to studying and catching up on the biology experiments we have going on. You showed remarkable aptitude for it." At the compliment, Alphys was blushing and nodding, looking determined as she was waved off to a small area that was _filled_ with folders and notebooks. There had to be at least fifty, and Sans didn't envy her in the least.

"Sans, I believe you'll be better suited to the more, hm… Experimental work, we'll say." At seeing the desk he was directed to, he had to work at keeping the smile on his face. If he thought Alphys' workload had been bad, this was… Oh, jeez. Now he very much envied her. There were _three tables_ that were all filled with folders, notebooks, and anything that looked to be able to be _written_ on. It was also _three feet high on each desk_. "A lot of it is working with numbers and redefining dimensions inside one's mind, which you showed to very adapt at in the work you submitted and answered."

And while normally Sans would be _thrilled_ at hearing those words - Dr. W. D. freaking _Gaster_ had _complimented him_ \- he was a little too busy trying not to faint at the prospect of catching up on all this work. He did manage a smile, though. Maybe. It was a bit hard to tell. "Now, I know this is a quite a bit to catch up on, so I shall be giving you both the entire day to read through everything." A day. One day. _A single day_. "Let me know if you need any help or have any questions about the work."

It wasn't until Gaster was out of hearing and sight range that he was looking to Alphys and drawing a finger across his neck, the monster looking startled before giving a tiny little giggle, "Sans, right?"

"Yup, that's me. Think we've met a time or two here and there." A blush, and a nod, both knowing quite well where they had met. "Welp, as much as I'd love to play catch-up, I think we have a ton of work to do." Judging by Alphys' expression, she knew what was coming. Which, good. "A _skele_ -ton." The groan of pain was a gift, truly.

It took a moment to decide where to start, but when he did, Sans was utterly _captivated_ by everything in the folders. If he thought Gaster had been a genius before, well, that had just been the tip of the iceberg. The theories, the experiments, the hypotheses, the calm and controlled manner in which he wrote on how everything was conducted. He knew he had seen the monster as a bit of an idol, but now it was more like _hero_ worship.

Unfortunately, his excitement didn't last long considering just how _complicated_ everything was, and how long it was taking him to understand it all - pft, and he thought he had been smart… What a joke that was now. When Gaster had come down to check on them and relieve them for lunch, Alphys had been all too happy to take a break, Sans only waving them off and saying he had eaten a big breakfast and would snack on something later.

Later turned out to be never since the day was almost done and he was only a _quarter_ of the way through the work he had been assigned. Sure it was just reading, but Gaster had seen him as competent enough to understand and comprehend everything within a day and… No, no, it was fine. He could do this. Nevermind that he had been fighting off the urge to pass out for hours, now, and still hadn't eaten. It was just _reading_. Really, it was nothing different than what he normally did. (He might have read every published thing Gaster had ever _written_ even _before_ the job.)

"Sans!" At the snap of his name, the skeleton was darting up and looking to see Alphys, who was looking a bit worried. "Didn't you hear? Dr. Gaster dismissed us for the day." ...Oh. Well then. That was a pretty big failure for day one.

"Oh? Aha, sorry. I guess I was a little busy _hear_ in my work." At the groan and eye roll, Sans gave another smile. "Yeah, I'll leave in another few minutes or so, just have to finish this folder."

"Oh, good! I was afraid you hadn't finished in time!" Alphys was smiling in relief, Sans not having the heart to tell her that he was probably going to get fired on the spot in the morning - please god don't let there be a pop quiz on all this. "I'll see you tomorrow, then." Sans gave a bright smile, the look dimming bit by bit before he heard the door finally close, Sans banging his head on the table. He had barely even finished _half_ of what Gaster had assigned him…

"Welp. That's me screwed, then." The lab was completely silent, the lights all turned off with the exception of a lamp or two. He had been so caught up in trying to _catch_ up that he hadn't even _noticed_ when everything had started being shut down. "Good fucking job, Sans. Another thing fucked up." A dull thump of his head hitting the table, a groan of frustration leaving him.

"Shouldn't even bother trying… This always happens." It's not like he had _always_ been lazy on purpose, it was just… Things never quite went his way. Ever. _Ever_. So, why even bother when everything failed, really. Least it was less stress. Unlike this fine mess he had gotten himself into. "Well done, Sans, you managed to not only embarrass yourself on the first day with a stupid pun that wasn't even that good, but you also managed to fail a simple task and disappoint your freaking _idol_. What a 'brilliant' monster you turned out to be…"

Maybe he could just… Was there a way he could stay for the night and keep reading? That would work, right? He could be all caught up by tomorrow morning and, sure, his sleep would probably suffer, but he had slept enough to make up for _lifetimes_. He could probably just… Oh, who was he kidding… This really wasn't going to work out for him. He had known from the start and yet he had still- Who had he been _kidding_.

Grabbing his bag and pushing himself up to stand, Sans paused at something that hadn't been there when he had set his head down. A small Cinnamon Bunny (some of the most delicious treats ever made in his humble opinion) was sitting on his desk, a little note of encouragement under the treat. A note that was written in very familiar handwriting. Handwriting that he had been reading all day. The handwriting of flippin' W. D. Gaster. W. D. Gaster who had apparently heard every self-depreciating word out of his mouth and had… And had left him a treat and note to cheer him up…

Well, then. So much for it being just hero worship.

He had it _bad_.

* * *

Honestly I can see Dadster or Sanster, I just happen to like writing for the second one, it seems.


	2. Mercy

Aw, yeah, almost six in the morning. Let the sinning continue. To be fair, I was asleep but then I woke up and didn't feel like falling back asleep so here's a new chapter of Sanster trash. May you enjoy it. Also, may I just complain about how unfair it is that FFN does not have a Gaster tag? Blasphemy, truly.

Patr(e)on : mjanderson

Tumblr : ibelieveinahappilyeverafter

* * *

**Chapter Two**

**::**

"Alright. Just go in there, pretend absolutely nothing is wrong, and it'll all work out. Probably. Maybe. Possibly- Nope, I'm out." Before Sans could dramatically flee into the night that was technically morning, he was being stopped by a hand on his back that was pushing him towards the door of the science labs in Hotland.

"Ah, Sans! It seems you've beaten me here, this morning." Fuck. Alright, alright, just- Don't panic. Just don't panic, Sans. Okay. The hand of your idol, crush, and hero was on your back. You can so totally deal with that. Just don't say anything stupid and conduct yourself in a responsible and mature manner befitting one of your new station.

"Oh, well, you know, my alarm clock went off a bit earlier than expected. It was kind of _alarming_." Plan failed, mission abort, run for life and beg for Mercy.

"Hm, I suppose time does rather fly when not paying attention. Especially since my own clock was thrown out the window this morning." Before Sans could respond, the two were in the lab and Gaster was greeting Alphys, who had just walked in as well, and, fuck. _Fuck_. He was screwed. He was doomed. Knock him down and sign his death warrant because W. D. freakin' Gaster punned. _Punned_. Ooh, he was so doomed there weren't even _words_ to describe how doomed he was. "Ah, yes, I had almost forgotten!"

Sans nervously watched as Gaster went to rummage around another room for a few moments, horrible thoughts of being embarrassed and fired running through his head. It might have been bad enough that he didn't even notice Alphys poking him until it was less poke, more punch. "What?!" And, wow, okay, that was loud. Loud enough that Gaster was poking his head out of the room and looking curiously at the two of them. "I mean, aha, whaaat did you forget? Sir?"

"Oh, please, no need for that. You two can just call me Gaster, if you wish." Alphys was trying not to laugh at Sans' flustered state, the younger skeleton only giving a smile and trying to _destroy his annoying, evil coworker._ "Ah, as I was saying, I forgot yesterday to give you two your coats and ID badges." A few more moments of rustling around was heard before Gaster was coming back with lab coats and badges for them both, Alphys happily accepting hers and putting it on. "I'm afraid these are the smallest sizes we have."

"It's fine," Sans waved off, moving his bag aside and pulling his own coat on him and oh _god_ he looked like a little kid playing dress-up. While the coat was a bit big on Alphys, it seemed to dwarf Sans, all the way down to the floor. Just enough to where he knew that he _would_ trip on it. "Thank you."

"Yes, hm, welcome. Yes. You're welcome." There was a slight stumble in Gaster's words, but Sans didn't bother putting much attention in it at the moment. The monster was probably just trying not to laugh at his current predicament. "Anyways, it seems I've forgotten that there's some leftover paperwork I didn't get a chance to finish the other day, so I won't get a chance to show you around as I wanted. For today, at least, it'd be best if you kept to yourselves for a bit. Maybe go over anything you didn't understand yesterday with the papers."

Mercy thy name is W. D. Gaster. Really, it was a good thing Gaster was still talking and not quite looking at them, because Sans gave a small stumble where he almost fell over and started crying. Truly, he thanked whatever twisted gods ruled the Underground. "That'll be all for now, at least. Feel free to explore when you're finished, of course."

Alphys and Sans nodded their agreement before heading back off to their work benches, Sans remembering all at once that the twisted gods of the Underground hated his very Soul. Which was why he immediately tripped over his lab coat and end up in a heap on the floor, glasses falling off his face from the jolt and hitting the floor before _shattering_. There was a long silence between the three of them, Sans' letting his head in the ground in defeat.

So that was how the day was going to go, then.

::

Reading without glasses, Sans found, was tricky and difficult. By which he meant he had a horrible headache an hour into the day and was curled up on his desk in a pathetic show of pity invoking defeat. (How was it he even _needed_ glasses? He was a _skeleton_!) Sighing, and figuring he really _couldn't_ waste his second chance, he pulled a folder towards him. He had to pause and blink at seeing a familiar pair of glasses on his that… That were completely fixed. Putting them on showed they were indeed the same, settled on his face perfectly and nicely.

"Thank you, twisted gods of death and hate." There was a snort of laughter from behind him, but when he looked he only saw Alphys at her own desk and ignoring the world at large. Shrugging it off, he went back to work before he paused at the piece of paper on his desk, blinking at seeing it was familiar handwriting, but a very _un_ familiar language.

Tucking it away to go over later, he got back to work, relieved beyond words to see the rest of the work was mostly just observations and things he had already read about the day before. It was a blessing in disguise that he was more than happy enough to accept.

This time, when lunch came around, Sans was happy enough to take a break, having made a great deal of progress with the work remaining. Thank whatever had made Gaster forget about his paperwork because otherwise he would have been _doomed_. "Have you two been understanding the work alright?"

"Oh, yes, and it's quite fascinating!" Alphys was looking eager to discuss what she had learned from Gaster's work, Sans content to quietly eat while listening to them, still turning the note over in his mind. It wasn't Alphys who had left it, so it _had_ to have been Gaster, but why would he? And what language even _was_ it. It looked like a form of-

"Sans?" Hearing his name, Sans tilted his head, resisting the urge to have any reaction besides a polite smile at seeing Gaster was looking at him with his full attention. Dammit, body, now was not the time to have a reaction that didn't even make biological sense. (Seriously. Magic could only go so far, and giving him the ability to blush in _blue_ was crossing the line.) "Have you understood everything?"

"Ah, yes- Well, sort of." Oh god no he did not mean to say that. At the curious look, Sans figured he had been through a good Run, anyways. "Well… It's just that in some of your research, you had a theory that the physics of the Underground had separate properties than those of up top, on the surface. One of the theories was that the condescend magic in such a confined space messed with the very fabric of time and space, but, ah, I don't quite think that's _all_ of it…

"When you think about it, it would take much more energy to affect the laws of physics _themselves_ than just all of us in one space. Even with the monsters here that are made of magic, not a lot of them _use_ their magic, so it balances things out rather evenly. I was wondering if it didn't have something to do with our location itself, besides just the fact we're all together."

"Oh?" Gaster looked honestly curious about what he was saying, Sans ready to flee before Alphys was keeping him seated with a casual movement to where she was _sitting on his coat_. She would die first when he became a mad scientist, he vowed. "And how do you believe location would affect it?"

"Well, ah, hm. See, we're underground- Obviously, heh, but, ah- Deep underground. Far enough away from the surface itself that our weather systems and environments are _vastly_ different as compared to what's seen up there. On the same day it could be snowing in Snowdin, we'll have rain in Waterfall. It's to the point where standing on the border between the two, the rain and snow are easy and distinct to tell apart. And then we have Hotland, which is made of magma and lava. If the _weather_ is so different and strange, couldn't it be possible that our position makes it easier for physics to, hm… Act a bit differently?

"So close to the core of the earth, the electromagnetic pulls and effects are much more pronounced on us than they might be on the surface, which is much further away. In conjunction with the condensed magical currents is it, ah, possible, that, um, that might be why you've observed all those strange effects? Maybe?" Alright. Strong finish. Way to go, you poor excuse of a scientist.

"I must admit, I've never quite thought of that." Don't blush, Sans, don't blush. "Perhaps with the two combined, it would indeed cause the strange effects!" Gaster was already up and ranting to himself, the two assistants only understanding every other word before the man was out of the lab, pausing just barely to give Sans a dazzling smile.

There was a long silence before Alphys was nudging Sans with a smirk, Sans huffing and pushing her away so he could escape. "Oh, shut up." And dammit, no, he was not blushing. Not at all- He was a fucking blueberry, who was he kidding. Alphys' snorts were a clear enough indication of that.

It wasn't too long before Sans was caught up on everything he needed to read and was boredly organizing everything into piles by subject, date, and final result. He may have gotten a bit carried away, since by the time they were being dismissed, he had done it to all of his piles and most of Alphys' before he was being shooed away.

A quick glance to make sure neither were looking once out of the building, and he was suddenly in front of his front door in Snowdin. OPening it tiredly, he flopped onto the couch, bag dropping to the floor along with his coat and ID badge. "Ah, brother! Did you have a good second day?"

"Well, I'm not fired, so that's a plus side." Sans yawned as Papyrus picked him up and carried him to the table, settling him down in a chair. Smiling a bit, Sans was stretching out and yawning again as he flopped down to lay across the table. "How was your day?"

"Spectacular! I made a new friend while exploring Waterfall! Her name is Undyne, and she seems very motivated!" Undyne… Where had he heard that name- Ah, well, probably nothing. Remembering the note he had found with his glasses, Sans pulled it out, studying it curiously.

"Hey, Pap, come here a second." Waiting until the younger was beside him, Sans was showing the slip of paper to him. "That language look familiar to you?"

"Hm… I cannot say it does. Undyne, perhaps, might know! I shall ask her tomorrow!" Waving it off, Sans tucked the paper back in his pocket.

"Nah, it's fine. I'll _puzzle_ it out myself." A groan, Sans snickering as his favorite jacket was tossed over him, the skeleton happily snuggling into it while his brother went to work cooking their dinner.

"That one wasn't even that _good_."

"You're smiling, though."

"I am and I hate it!"

Sans only hummed and curiously looked to the note again, wondering what language it had been written in and why it was left on his desk with his repaired glasses. Just what was Gaster up to… Well, he'd figure it out eventually.

Hopefully.

* * *

In case it wasn't clear, Gaster totally came up with the excuse of paperwork just so Sans could finish reading without feeling bad or having attention drawn to it.


	3. Angry Flowers

Heya! Bet you gave up on this story, huh? Well that was a mistake! I cranked out 2k words for this chapter just last night and I hope you enjoy this! I also edited the last two chapters, so you may want to re-read those really quick before reading this one. Hopefully I can get back into an update schedule for this story, but for now, enjoy!

Patr(e)on : mjanderson

Tumblr : ibelieveinahappilyeverafter

* * *

**Chapter Three**

**::**

He was never going to figure this out. He was a fucking disgrace. A failure of a scientist. A horrible amalgamation of regret and suffering and pain and _what the fuck kind of language even was this_?! It _looked_ like it could be a form of pictograms, or hieroglyphics, but it didn't match up to _anything_ he had ever seen - human or monster. It could be some kind of coded language that not many knew of? Maybe? If he could just puzzle out the vowels, he was sure he would make more progress than he was.

"Ah, Sans…" Pausing at hearing his name, Sans glanced back to Papyrus, who was standing in his doorway and dressed for his sentry work- Wait, no, that wasn't right. It was near midnight, at this point. "Shouldn't you have left for work, by now?" Work? At midnight? Alright, Papyrus had apparently lost it if he couldn't even tell it was… Was… _Holy shit it was morning he was going to be late._ "I'll take that as a yes."

"Aha, yeah, up late researching something. Don't worry about it, I'll just go to bed early tonight." Sans slipped into his lab coat and grabbed his bag, running for the bannister and hopping over it, using the couch as a springboard to get to the door faster. "Bye, love you, see you tonight!"

"Ah- Sans! Pants! You forgot pants!" Sans, who already had the door half open, snapped it shut with a blush. And he might have blushed even more when Papyrus tossed the needed pants onto his head.

"Bro, you're a life savior." Teleporting into work without his pants would have been a _nightmare_.

"Yes, well, I suppose the Great and Powerful Papyrus _is_ rather amazing! Why, in fact-"

"Yeah, sounds great, gotta go, talk later!" Sans scrambled out the door, just barely registering the feel of snow crunching under his feet before he was running across rocky ground. He just managed to get the doors open and skid inside as he saw the clock tick over to the next hour. "Ha! Not late!"

"No, I suppose you're not." Shit. Hesitantly glancing over his shoulder, Sans gave a nervous grin to Gaster. It was pure luck that the older skeleton looked more amused, than anything. "Oversleep?"

"Heh, sorta." If he was very lucky - which he never was - he wouldn't even feel the urge to nap today. That would be great. It was never going to happen, but it would have been great if it _did_. "Mornin', Dr. Gaster."

The scientist gave a small smile, returning to his task of starting up the computers and mainframe in the main room, "You know, you _can_ just call me Gaster."

"Of course, Dr. Gaster." Sans gave a beaming smile at the look, letting himself be waved off to his work. As soon as Gaster was out of sight, Sans was pulling the crumpled up paper with the strange language on it out of his pocket. This had to be some kind of test Gaster had left him, and if he didn't figure it out, he was probably going to get fired. Probably. Maybe- Didn't matter, either way, because he was _going_ to figure this out.

::

"Is this supposed to be a language?" Alphys was scrunching her snout up at the note she was shown, looking confused. "It looks like doodles. Lots of small, tiny doodles."

"Yeah, well, so do hieroglyphics, and those can still be used as a language." Grumbling, Sans tucked the note away again. He had looked through as much as he could (while still getting his work done, of course - he wasn't a _heathen_ ) and he couldn't find _anything_ on what kind of language the writing was in. "I know I can translate it if I can just find out _something_ about it."

"Why not ask Dr. Gaster? He knows a little bit about everything, so he'll probably know something about it, right?" Alphys picked at her cup of noodles for a moment before stealing a bite off of Sans' tray - he had barely touched his food.

"Can't. Good idea, but can't." At the look, Sans waved it off. "Don't worry about it, I'll find some way to decode it. Anyways, how's that project you were telling me about the other day. The small robot you're making, right?"

"Well, not really _robot_ , just more of a computerized helper."

"So, a robot."

"No. It's not- No. It's not a robot-"

"Sounds like a robot."

"Yeah, well, it's not."

"Does it have wheels and arms?"

"Ye- Yes?"

"It's a robot."

There was a snort from Gaster as he walked by with some papers and settled down at a desk in the corner of the room, both Alphys and Sans blushing in embarrassment. It was a few moments before Alphys gave Sans a kick, the skeleton yelping and clutching his leg. "Not a robot."

"Alright, alright, take it easy." Note to future self, avoid calling Alphys' mechanical helpers robots. "I only have one hp, here."

"Wha- Really?" Both Alphys and Gaster were staring at Sans in a bit of shock, which, great. Hadn't meant to let that slip. Sighing, Sans gave a small shrug.

"Yeah, but, it's normal, I think. Pap has pretty low hp, too, and so did our parents. Probably a skeleton thing. Maybe." He- He didn't really know many skeletons. Besides he, Papyrus, and Gaster, he didn't think there _were_ any more skeletons in the Underground.

"It is, actually- Or at least, there's a correlation in being a skeleton and having low health." At Gaster's comment, Sans gave a gesture, and, see? Perfectly normal. "Although I've never heard of a skeleton - or any monster for that matter - having only _one_ hp." Well, alright then. For a second, Sans almost thought Gaster looked _worried_ about him.

"I make up for it with how much magic I have," Sans smiled charmingly, Alphys raising an eyebrow at him. "What? I do! Pap is better, of course, but I still like to think I can keep up with him on a good day."

"You know, you _might_ have more hp if you would actually _eat_ your food." Before Sans could argue, Alphys was grinning and sticking some noodles in his mouth. "There. Problem solved."

"Mmph."

"Aw, thank you. That's so sweet of you!"

This time, when Gaster laughed, Sans couldn't find it in him to really be upset.

::

"I must say, brother, I am impressed by how much effort you're putting into decoding this 'note' of yours." Sans could _hear_ the amusement in his brother's voice. Considering he was a little busy reading about ten books at once, though, he didn't have a chance to look up and glare at him. "It's quite nice to see you so impassioned!"

"I'm not impassioned, I'm frustrated and determined to get this decoded so I can bask in my glory and rub the note's defeat into it's _face_."

"The note does not have a face, brother."

"Yeah, well, _your_ face."

"Perhaps you require a break." Sans felt arms hook around his waist and lift him up, the skeleton going limp and trying to be as much of a dead weight as possible- Heh. _Dead_ weight. "A brisk jog into Waterfall sounds like just the thing to lift your spirits! If we're lucky, we'll even meet Undyne!"

"Uugghh." Really, not even Sans' best groan of despair was enough to stop Papyrus when he was on a mission. Which was disheartening.

As it turned out, though, they were indeed 'lucky' enough to meet Undyne. As it also turned out, Sans _had_ seen her before. Alphys was often tailing after her and blushing (really, the crush was so obvious) and hanging onto her every word - when she stayed long enough for conversation. She was also the monster always going on about how she would one day be Captain of the Royal Guard. She was also, as Sans had come to learn, _batshit crazy_.

Their 'brisk jog' ended up turning into a competitive run through half of Waterfall, Sans huffing and puffing for breath and eventually being snatched to ride on Undyne's back. It was irritating that she didn't even seem to be _slowed_ by the extra weight, instead just running _faster_. Ugh.

It was a relief when they finally stopped for rest, Sans flopping to the ground and not moving - in fact, now seemed a good time for a nap. A nap sounded _great_ \- "Ah, Undyne, I almost forgot! Sans wanted to ask you something!" Or not. "Sans, do you have the note with you?"

"Note?" Undyne looked over at him curiously, having already caught her breath (she wasn't even sweating, the bastard). Shoving his hand into his pocket, Sans tugged on his magic, teleporting the note into his hand before holding it out. It was better to not let others know about his magic - besides, he didn't want Papyrus to worry about him. "Alright. What about it?"

"We were wondering if you happened to know how to read it." Papyrus was beaming, looking excited at the thought of answers. Sans, however, didn't bother to hold his breath - he was still trying to get it back, after all.

"Am I supposed to? It looks like doodles. And squiggles." Knew it. "Hey, Gerson might know, though! He knows _everything_."

Sans shared a look with Papyrus, who gave a small shrug himself. "Gerson?"

"What? You don't know who Gerson- How do you not know who _Gerson_ is!" Undyne was looking unjustly wronged, Sans only staying where he was and not even bothering to get up. "Gerson! The Hammer of Justice! He fought in the war against the humans! He was actually _on_ the surface! He runs a shop in Waterfall, now, and he knows _everything about everything_. So, yeah. You should definitely talk to him. Definitely."

"Guess it can't hurt," Sans sighed, finally getting to his feet. "Alright, I'll go talk to him. You two can go back to your crusade of-"

"Alright! Time to beat my record!" Undyne was off in a flash, Papyrus chasing after her.

"Not if the Great and Powerful Papyrus beats it first!"

Shaking his head, Sans gave a small smile. It was nice to see his brother actually having friends, for once, instead of sticking to himself - he supposed he was like Sans, in that aspect. Another shake of his head and Sans was taking a step forward, suddenly in front of a small, friendly-looking shop. "Ah, teleportation… Been awhile since I've seen a monster with that power."

"Pretty good. Usually people don't question my 'shortcuts'." Grinning, Sans stepped inside, curiously looking around. There were quite a few goods stuffed up on shelves and stashed away into corners - a lot of _old_ things, too. The oldest thing in there, however, seemed to be the monster behind the counter. "I take it you're Gerson?"

"That'd be me, alright. I'm guessing you're not here to buy?" Oo, Sans liked this monster.

"Not quite. I was actually wondering if you could help me with something." Taking the curious look as a good sign, Sans put the note on the counter. "I'm having a little trouble figuring out what this is saying."

"Ah… It's been a long time since I've seen one of the skeletal languages." Skeletal languages? "You don't know what it says?"

"No, my brother and I only know the common monster language, where we were born down here." A shrug, Sans playing with the edge of the paper. "Our parents might have known, but a lot was lost when we came down here, I guess. There aren't exactly many skeletons left, either."

"I don't know enough to translate it, but I know it's very old - probably one of the original languages your kind made." Gerson stroked his beard for a moment, finally giving a nod. "Have you tried asking Dings?" Sans' confusion must have shown on his face, since Gerson raised an eyebrow at him, "You know, Dings. One of the only other skeletons down here."

"You..." Only other skeletons. The only other skeleton _Sans_ knew was… "You mean Dr. Gaster?"

"Is that what he goes by these days? I _must_ be getting old if he's a 'proper' skeleton now," Gerson snorted. "When I knew him, the brat was as young as you were. Constantly telling jokes and getting into trouble- Little shit couldn't settle down for anything."

Alright. Sans would just pretend he hadn't heard that. That- That would be best for the long Run. And his sanity. "Right. I can't ask him, though, it's- He's the one who wrote it, and I kind of… I want to prove I can do it on my own."

Sans wasn't sure what he had said to prompt the serious staring, only shuffling his feet nervously before he saw Gerson give a nod, "Alright. I have a few books that might help you."

"Really? That would be _great_."

"Perfect. That'll be 100 gold." At the dry look, Gerson gave a laugh. "Wa ha ha! You didn't think I'd give you books about ancient knowledge for _free_ , did ya?"

"I had hoped," Sans snorted, giving a nod. "Alright, alright- Throw in some Crab Apples, too."

"Now that's what I like to hear!"

::

Alright. It had taken another all-nighter, but Sans had finally managed to use the books to figure out what kind of note Gaster had left him. It was rather long, but Sans was sure the effort would be worth it. No matter what test this was, he was definitely going to pass it! Sitting back, he rubbed at his eyes before focusing on the words.

' _Ah, so you are curious about new things! That is rather good, then. Tell me, what do you know about angry flowers?_ '

...What.

* * *

Sans is very confused and very unamused.

Also, can I just say I love how many comments I got about Flowey? I was so hoping that would throw people off.


	4. Doomed

To be honest, when I opened the doc for this, half of this chapter was already written. I have no memory of writing it, but, hey. It turned out great.

Patr(e)on : mjanderson

Tumblr : ibelieveinahappilyeverafter

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**::**

Angry flowers. _Angry flowers_. What- What was he supposed to do with _angry flowers_. Alright, okay, it- Alright. Gaster was a genius. Dr. W. D. Gaster, Royal Scientist, renowned inventor, and former soldier of the Royal Army was a _genius_. He was a genius who had made the Underground a home, instead of a prison. Gave them their lives back, in small ways. He was amazing- Really, Sans would never be able to find all the words needed to describe Gaster. He was just… He was _incredible_.

And he had left Sans a secret test note talking about angry flowers. Now, Sans would never admit that Gaster was crazy (at least, never admit it to his face), but… _Angry flowers_. It just. It didn't make sense. "Sans." What did he know about- Nothing, really. How the hell was _anyone_ supposed to know _anything_ about _angry flowers_. "Sans." It was utterly ridiculous! He knew Gaster was a genius, but this note was testing his sanity. Again. "Sans!"

"I don't know!" Sans threw his arms up, startling Alphys from where she had been calling his name. "It doesn't make sense! I mean, it probably does, to someone smarter, but I'm not _that_ smart, you know? I just like to read and hide it behind snark and puns, but this doesn't- It doesn't make _sense_."

"Your lunch… Doesn't make sense." The two stared at each other for a long moment, Sans finally looking down to his half-eaten tray, and, right. He was- Right. They were at lunch.

"I, ah… I am _really_ passionate about whether or not potatoes should be considered a vegetable or a fruit." Another long silence awkwardly sprung up between them, Alphys finally nodding slowly.

"I'll pretend the last five minutes never happened if you do." Ah, yes. Now he remembered why he liked Alphys so much for all her evil ways.

"You are an utter gem, Alph. So, how's your little robot doing?" That and she was so very fun to tease. Really, his future self wasn't any better than his past self.

"He's not- Ugh, forget it. It's going fine, I'm just having a few troubles with the coding, you know? I can build the mechanics part of it just fine, and have it working _perfectly_ , but then when I get to the coding and AI, it just sort of falls apart."

"Huh." Sans nibbled on his fork for a few moments, finally nodding. "Mind sending me what you have? I'm pretty okay with coding, and great at nitpicking, so maybe I can see if there's anything small you're missing."

"That would be _wonderful_." Sans nodded, happy to help someone he would be stuck with for the next few years. Plus, it would help get his mind off this 'angry flower' nonsense for a while.

"I know, I know, I _am_ rather amazing." Huh, starting to sound like Papyrus, there. He should be more careful with that. Well, he could fix that by telling a couple dozen robot and coding puns in a row. Before he could even say one, however, he was pausing with a sudden thought. "Hey, Alphys, remember that note I showed you? With the weird language? Have you gotten any like that?"

"Oh, ah, no? At least, not any that I've seen. Why do you ask?" Alright, so apparently Gaster was just testing him- That… He didn't know if that made things better or worse. A glance to Gaster, who had just walked in with a bright smile towards the two, and he decided it was worse.

It was so much worse.

::

Sans didn't know where to even _begin_ with this. "Alph… I know I said I'd look over your coding, but I thought it was better than what a _child_ could come up with." Sans had seen the specs on the little robot she had built, and it was _amazing_. The base model she had come up with was energy-efficient, flexible, and perfect for what it was designed for. The coding, however… The coding was like a tangled up nightmare of _horror_.

"You… You don't even have brackets on half of these- Do you- You don't even have a _closing_ -" Sans cut himself off, burying his face in his hands. This code couldn't be fixed. It could only be _replaced_. Taking a deep breath, Sans cracked his joints before getting to work. If he was going to spend his whole night 'fixing' this code, then he was damn well going to make sure it was the best robot code ever!

It was four hours in (he really was getting good at these all-nighters) before Sans started nodding off, head jerking with the sudden urge to sleep. He knew skeletons didn't have a lot of the biological responses most monsters and humans had, but their magic did a damn fine job of recreating some of it. As it was, his head felt fuzzy, his eyes heavy, and his entire body was moving as if he was trudging through water.

If he could just get this line finished. He was nowhere near done, but maybe he had fixed (rewritten) enough for Alphys to get a good start on her little robot. Really, he had managed to get it to the point where he was allowed to close his eyes for a few moments. Just to rest them from the screen glare. Just… Just a small rest-

_It's a beautiful day out but it wasn't it really wasn't monster dust coated the ground and seeped into the air and when you breathed in there was only dust and it was the remains of those he loved and cared for and there was nothing and it was all silent and there was no one there was no sound and no voices and no laughter only the overwhelming stench of death and loss and grief and a floating red scarf with no owner and_

Sans jerked his head up, breathing a bit heavily as he looked around to see… To see nothing. A glance to the computer showed he couldn't have been asleep for more than half an hour- Rather quick for a nightmare to settle in, but it wasn't his first. It didn't make any _sense_ , but it definitely wasn't his first. Shaking his head, and calming his breathing, Sans slowly got back to work on the code. He wanted to at least have the first half finished by tomorrow, just to rub it in Alphys' face. Of course, that was hard to do when his eyes wouldn't stay open, and, alright… Just one more small rest-

_The birds are singing but no they're not they're screaming in terror and fleeing from the knife that was stained red with blood and grey with dust and oh god there was no escape from this and so many fell and there was no escape and nowhere to go and how could they run when the Barrier could never be broken and this wasn't a 'safe haven' or even a prison it was_ _**hell** _ _and they were trapped down here and forced to hear the screams of people being killed one after another and there was no ending it was just that knife being brought down over and over and over and_

This time the jerk awake was a bit more loud, Sans cutting off a scream as he stopped himself from falling out of his chair. That- That felt like more than a nightmare. (Ridiculous. Nothing could be 'more than a nightmare'.) He knew he had been staying up late a lot more often, but he didn't think it would have _that_ much of a negative effect on him. Shaking his head, Sans slowly slipped out of his seat and headed for the stairs.

A small snack, and a glass of water, and then he was _definitely_ going to bed. He did have work tomorrow, after all, and Gaster was finally starting them on _important_ projects. They still mostly did paperwork (what intern didn't, though, really?) but it was getting to the point where Gaster needed their help more and more on the important things. It was nice. To know he was making a difference with what he was doing. He probably wouldn't be helping to bring the Barrier down anytime soon (it couldn't be broken, it was never going to break), but at least he could help monsters be more comfortable in their homes.

Settling down at the kitchen table, Sans absently munched on his snack, yawning widely and feeling his jaw near crack at the movement. Snorting, and thinking of half-formed bone puns, Sans barely noticed when he settled down on the table, head laying across his folded arms. Maybe he could use some more bone puns at work- Gaster, at least, seemed to appreciate a good pun, here and there. Didn't want to overdo it, of course, but, still. It was a nice… A nice thought…

_Over and over and over and over and over and the fight was never going to end they were stuck in this Judgement Hall forever just him and these kids and it never seemed to end and it was that same knife that he dodged and dodged and dodged but he couldn't do this forever he didn't_ _**want** _ _to do this forever and why should he when everything that had ever mattered was burned and forgotten and everyone that had ever mattered was dead and gone and god he just wanted it to stop he just wanted it to end he just wanted it to be done with please he was so tired and there was no one left to protect and please just end it already_

_**KiDs LikE yOU shOulD bE buRniNG iN hElL** _

This time, when Sans woke up, it was with a terrified, high-pitched scream, the skeleton falling out of his chair and scrambling across the floor. Sans was only barely aware of Papyrus coming down the stairs and calling his name, all he could do was clutch as his chest, begging and pleading for it to end or to cha _nge or to Reset_ \- It was a blur until Papyrus managed to talk him down.

When it was over and Sans was back in his room, the skeleton could only stare at his shaking hands. He was used to nightmares (that was all he ever had, it seemed, no good dreams in such a long time) but that… That had been…

Dreaming of monsters and humans was one thing, but how had he ever managed to dream up a _demon_.

::

"Sans? What happened to you!" Sans looked up at the concerned faces of Alphys and Gaster, the skeleton blinking blankly for a moment, and, huh. He looked like _that_ much of a wreck, then.

"Not much. Just didn't get much sleep. I felt my rib cage digging into me all night." He got two rather unimpressed looks, which, yeah, alright. That hadn't been his best work, he would admit, but really. He was exhausted. "Throw me a bone here, guys, I don't pun well when sleep deprived-"

"And just _why_ are you sleep deprived?" Alphys had her arms crossed and had drawn herself up as high as she could go. It was more insulting than anything, considering Alphys was younger than him and _still taller_.

"Like I said, didn't get much sleep," Sans waved off, heading towards his desk. "Nothin' to worry about." Settling down to his work, it was a while before he felt the gazes leave, one staying longer than the other - Alphys was such a worrier, honestly.

Eventually he was able to get to his work, sending off what he had of the code to Alphys and absently turning over his nightmares in his head. He was used to nightmares, and sleepless nights, but never… Never to _that_ extent. It had been… It had felt so _real_ , in those moments. It felt like- Like he was actually going through all that. It had been terrifying, and when he closed his eyes for more than a second, he could still see it so clearly.

It was like with each moment, someone he had cared about had been lost. Had been… It had been so… _down down down falling down and that's where it all started and her voice was no longer heard and his dust spread across the snow with red flying in the breeze and the hero finally falling and the screens going black and everything getting colder and darker and no matter how long he called or how much he screamed nobody came and_

_**daRkeR yeT dARkeR** _

This time, when Sans jerked awake, it was to the feeling of a coat sliding off of him, a confused glance around the lab showing it was empty. Thoughts jumbled and confused, it took a few minutes for Sans to find a clock, the monster groaning at seeing how late it was. It was near _lunch_ and he had just- Ugh. He was a _terrible_ assistant.

Sliding out of his seat, he gave a quiet sigh as he picked up the fallen lab coat. Alphys had probably found him and tossed hers- This wasn't Alphys' coat. It was far too large for that, and the laminated ID badge… The smiling face of the skeleton staring back at him wasn't his own. Had- Had _Gaster_ really but his coat over him? It was one thing to let him actually fall asleep at his desk, but to do _that_.

Sighing and setting the coat on his desk, Sans rubbed at his eyes. "I'm so doomed." He wasn't sure if he was doomed from where he was probably going to be fired, or doomed from- Yeah, no, he just. He wasn't letting his thoughts even _go_ there. Standing up, he paused at seeing a wrapped treat on the desk, a small note underneath it. Frowning and picking the note up, Sans glanced over it, seeing it was in the same mysterious language as the _last_ note Gaster had left him.

Another challenge? Or maybe a hint, where he hadn't figured out the first one? Teleporting the translation guide to hand, Sans grabbed a pencil and started working through the note. It wasn't long until he had it roughly deciphered, his own neat script underneath the strange symbols.

' _They are always saying to leaf them alone!_ '

Fuck. Sans was officially in love with Dr. W. D. Gaster.

 _Fuck_.

* * *

Sans is so doomed. This is Sans, realizing he's completely doomed.


	5. Only One Way

So I heard it was Sanster day over on tumblr. Decided to get this chapter out (I had started it last night before I even knew what today was, so good timing for me!) As per usual, I edited all the chapters before this one. I made it more Sans' POV like I want for this story and also fixed some grammar mistakes. You don't have to re-read, but it's been a while since I updated, so... Yes.

Patr(e)on : mjanderson

Tumblr : ibelieveinahappilyeverafter

* * *

**Chapter Five**

**::**

Alright. Alright, okay. This- Sans could deal with this. So, okay, he was in love with Doctor W. D. Gaster. This… This explained so much of his last few years of schooling. It explained _so_ much. Right. Sans was in love with W. D. Gaster, and he was working in his lab as his assistant- Sans suddenly regretted every trashy romance novel he had ever borrowed from the library.

It was hardly his fault! It wasn't like he could control his feelings, and he had always admired and looked up to Gaster. So his appreciation had turned into hero worship and then turned into viewing the monster as an idol and then he had gotten this stupid job and saw the monster as more than just the savior of the Underground and shit. He was so in love it was _ridiculous_. Maybe he could resign before it got too bad? It wasn't like anything could ever happen between them. For multiple reasons.

For one, their ages were… Well. Granted they were both skeletons, one of the slowest aging monsters in the Underground, but Gaster was a _Boss Monster_. That meant he had near _stopped_ aging, and he was going to be around for centuries! What's more, Gaster had been around since monsters lived _on_ the surface. That… Sans must have looked like little more than a _child_ compared to him.

That and Gaster was _Gaster_. He was the Savior of the Underground, a former Guard of the Royal Army that had fought in the wars, and the most renowned scientist the world of monsters would ever see. Having feelings for him would be like having feelings for a celebrity. Ridiculous with no hope of ever happening.

This was all because he had seen the _normal_ side of Gaster. The one that left his papers everywhere, forgot to eat lunch with them half the time, told puns near as much as Sans, and encouraged him when he started getting too down on himself. Gaster was _perfect_ and it was driving Sans _insane_. He had already botched two experiments and near blew up a simple chemistry equation. Gaster was starting to fret and Alphys was starting to think he was deathly ill.

Maybe he could resign. He should resign. Give his notice and then not turn up in Hotlands ever again for the rest of his unnatural life. It was the only thing that would save him. Although that would require leaving one of the most amazing jobs he had ever had and never being happy for the rest of his life… Decisions, decisions.

Sighing and looking down to the paperwork he had been doing, Sans had to resist the urge to toss himself out a window at seeing it was covered not with words, but with _doodles_. Doodles of _W. D. freaking Gaster_. All of them showed the head scientist in different poses with different expressions, Sans looking to have put careful work into the white-collared undershirt, loose black sweater, and black dress pants the monster always wore with his lab coat.

"Sans-" A sharp flick of blue energy and Sans teleported the paper away. As well as a dozen other things. He wasn't sure where they had gone, but the point was that they were _gone_. "Did… Did you just destroy papers with your magic?"

"What? Alph, come on, does that sound like me?" Judging by her expression, they both knew it very much sounded like him. "So, ah, what did you want?"

"Dr. Gaster wants our help with the artificial determination experiments. We're testing it on some flowers, today." That was today? Shit, Sans had forgotten that was today.

"Are you sure he wants my help on this one?" Because knowing his luck, Sans would end up dropping the vial of artificial determination and killing them all. (Gaster had been certain that one of the ways to break the Barrier might lie in human Determination. Unfortunately, that was in short supply down here.)

"'Please be sure to tell Sans that I will need his help on this. Don't accept any excuses he tries to give you, either.'" Alphys, after her perfect recitation, arched an eyebrow. "There's no escape."

"This is why you're going to be the first of us to turn into a mad scientist," Sans grumbled, getting to his feet and heading for the stairs. He tried to be as sulky as possible about the matter. "You're a terrible friend."

"I'm a great friend. I'm making you face your problems head on!" Resisting the urge to push Alphys down the stairs, Sans followed after her into the lab they would be working in. Gaster was already there and setting things up, looking to be deep in concentration. It did nothing to help Sans' current dilemma. "We're here, Dr. Gaster."

It took a moment for Gaster to notice them, smiling once he had done so. "Good, good. We're just about ready to start. Alphys, please record all the current data for the flower, if you would." Alphys nodded and got to work at once. She really _was_ good when it came to biology and mechanics. "Sans, if you'd help me, for a moment? I'd like your opinion on the amount of concentration we'll be using." Oh, dear.

"Sure, Dr. Gaster." Walking over, a bit hesitantly, Sans tried to seem as carefree and happy as he normally was. He probably failed horrendously, but the important part was that he _tried_. "How much do you have right now?"

"Of this particular concentration, we have 500 mL to work with." Staring at the bright red liquid, Sans felt as if it was something he should recognize. Which was ridiculous, seeing as no one in the Underground had seen Determination in hundreds of years. Some had _never_ seen it, Sans included. "For this experiment, I believe using 150 mL shall achieve our desired results."

Frowning at the numbers, Sans quickly turned it over in his head. "Will that be enough to get a result at all? We're hoping for it to be absorbed on a cellular structure, shouldn't we use more?"

"I've found that even the smallest amount of Determination can make the largest of differences," Gaster chuckled, the sound getting to Sans more than he would have cared to admit. "Although you would be right to worry otherwise." See? Things like _this_. Sans was a lowly assistant that might as well have been an intern and Gaster treated him like a _colleague_.

If he was lucky, all of his feelings could be blamed on that, and they would die down once Sans got used to all of the attention. "Alright, we're ready to start!" As the plant was put on the table, Sans noticed that it was a bright yellow flower. Golden, almost. Golden flowers were a common enough sight in the Underground, but these seemed larger than most, and very well cared for. They also looked familiar.

"Dr. Gaster?" At the curious hum, Sans looked between him and the flowers. "Are these from the royal gardens?" A near forgotten school field trip had been all about showing them the castle and talking to Asgore. The king seemed most proud of his garden.

"Ah, well." Gaster coughed, looking _embarrassed_. A glance at Alphys showed she looked as surprised as Sans felt. "Strictly speaking, I suppose they are. More strictly speaking, Asgore might not know I, ah, 'borrowed' them."

"Did…" There was no way. "Did you steal flowers from the King of All Monsters?" Sans was remembering in startling clarity what Gerson had said about 'Dings' being a troublemaker when he was younger.

"Of course not," Gaster tsked, carrying the artificial determination over to where they would be conducting the experiment. "As I said, I borrowed them."

While Alphys buried her face in her hands, Sans gave a delighted little laugh. He was doomed as all hell, but that… That was _brilliant_. "You know, I kind of have a feeling that this project is going to be a _thorn_ in our sides." Both went silent, Alphys the one to give him a horrified look. "Aw, come on, Alph. I'm just trying to _vine_ for your attention."

"I must say, Sans." At the serious tone, Sans looked up to Gaster hesitantly. Was he in trouble for punning during important work? "You shoot those off like a pistil." ...It was official. Sans really _was_ in love with W. D. Gaster.

"I guess I just have pretty good _stamina_." Thank you school biology for forcing him to label the parts of a plant as a child. It was paying off now so very well.

Gaster gave a rather heavy sigh, gesturing the two over and pouring the determination over the flower and its roots. While Alphys started writing down the results, Gaster was speaking in a conversational tone, "That one wasn't so good, you may want to try anther."

"It was fine," Sans pouted. _Pouted_. In front of _Gaster_. In his defense, though, nothing was more fun than a pun war. "Puns are just faced with so much _stigma_ , nowadays." There was a groan from Alphys, the monster sounding absolutely done with them. It was a lovely sound.

"No, no, I believe yours are simply going out of style." Oo, that was a good one. Subtle, too. Sans was very impressed, and, right. They were supposed to be doing an experiment. Glowing red flower. Nothing important.

"Well, it is all about finding those that are _receptacle_ to them." As Sans looked back up, he noticed Gaster's attention was more on him than the flower. Than his _experiment_. It really should not have made Sans as happy as it did.

"I don't think they are going ovary well." Racking his brain for a comeback, Sans just barely noticed that Alphys was scribbling across the clipboard quickly, as if unable to take the notes fast enough.

"Nah, you just have to let them _sepal_ in." Wait… Glowing _red_ flower? Sans looked back just in time to see the flower _explode_ , Gaster using his magic to craft a quick shield before any of them could react- Huh. Sans hadn't known Gaster's magic was green.

Shaking it off, he turned his attention back to the decimated pot and flower remains, sharing a look with Alphys. That… That had not gone as intended. "Well," Gaster spoke bracingly, clasping his hands together. "That was a blast."

The silence over the room was long and heavy before it was broken by incredulous laughter. By the time Sans realized it was coming from _him_ , he was already bent double and laughing even louder. He just… He couldn't believe that this was his life now. Working alongside his idol and hero that he was _in love with_ and getting into a pun war with him before their experiment blew up in their faces. It was…

It was absolutely incredible.

::

Dramatically throwing open the door, Sans just barely remembered to close it before he was collapsing across Papyrus' lap, who was sitting on the couch. Throwing an arm over his eyes, Sans groaned loudly and pathetically. "So you had a _very_ good day at work!"

"When did your humor get so vicious and dry," Sans complained, peeking an eye open to look up at Papyrus, who seemed far too amused by his pain. "I don't remember my sweet, loving little brother ever acting his cruel. Who changed you, Pap."

Rolling his eyes, Papyrus scooped Sans up and easily carried him into the kitchen. Sans would have been more offended if he didn't love being picked up and carried around so much. Besides, Papyrus used the excuse of carrying Sans as doing extra 'training'. "How _was_ work?"

"Horrible, our experiment blew up and then Gaster kept making more and more puns about it." Slipping out of Papyrus' arms to sit in his usual chair, Sans gave a dramatic sigh. "I think I'm in love, Pap."

"Ah, excellent! I was wondering if you would ever admit to it!" Wait. Wait, wait, wait. _Admit_ to it? As in Papyrus thought he was being serious. As in Papyrus _already knew about it_. "Are… Are you not confessing?"

No. No, Sans was pretty freaking sure he wasn't confessing! "Is there a reason you thought I was being serious?" Watching Papyrus shrug and move around the kitchen (Sans really needed to teach him how to cook something other than cold cut foods) Sans couldn't help but feel he was missing something important. "Papyrus."

"You've just been so _happy_ lately. I know, of course, that a large part of that is due to your job and the work you're doing to better yourself, but it also seemed a bit more. Plus, you've been going on about this Doctor Gaster for _years_. Ever since we were still in school."

"Wha- He's one of the most famous monsters in the Underground!" Sans defended, hoping against hope he wasn't blushing. Judging by his brother's look, he very much was. "I cannot _believe_ you would even _think_ that I have feelings for someone who is my _boss_." At the lack of any sort of a defense, Sans groaned and banged his head on the kitchen table. He would have kept up the motion if Papyrus hadn't slipped a towel under his head to cushion the blow. "Am I really that obvious?"

"Only to me." The amused chuckle and pat to his back put him a bit more at ease, Sans relaxing a little as he looked up at Papyrus' smiling face. "You know, it's not going to work out. There are a thousand reasons as to why it won't."

"Yes, but as a I once read from a wise book, you only need _one_ reason to make it work." Staring in shock, Sans could only watch as Papyrus went back to making lunch. The shock was mostly because Papyrus had given advice that Sans would expect to find in one one of his roman- _research_ novels.

Although… Only one reason to make it work, huh…

* * *

Sans is going to constantly bounce between thinking he has a chance, and thinking he has no chance. Also, I'm sorry if I get anyone out of character, but the games were remarkably open ended on some character traits. I'll do my best to give them justice, however! (Papyrus why are you so hard to write.)


End file.
